Nightmares of the Abyss
by DiscordArc
Summary: Vanitas Valentine, a boy with a mysterious past; quite literally. Taking place in the world of Remnant, and after being adopted by Ozpin, what is he going to do next? Will he pursue to becoming a hunter, or will he... Become Remnant's greatest adversary?
1. Abyssal Fire

**DiscordArc here, guess who's making an OC on another story again? Yeah, it's this idiot. Woot.**

 **All rights within this fanfiction belong to their respective owners. What only belongs to me is my storyline, and my OC. If ever I have the same story, and OC with another author, then I deeply apologize. I will quickly delete this and rewrite a new one ^^**

 **Without further adieu, begin!**

* * *

Flashbacks. Blurs. Fogs. Memories. All of these, flowing through my head. Dreams. Nightmares. All in one. Is this my life? Or is it my death?

 **"KILL. OZPIN."**

With a shock, I was jolted awake. Confused, mystified. I've turned and tossed to take a look at the clock. 5:00AM, dawn. A groan. A very unlikely roar. Followed by a defeated sigh. Those were the actions I took upon seeing the time.

"That dream again," said a voice to no one in particular. Ever since I've lost my memories, that dream keeps coming back. Showing up. Like a reminder. Like... a memory.

The voice carried a soft low melody, one that is falling into the deeper side. A male. Definitely a male. A female? Impossible.

The voice belonged to me.

I've glanced at the window. The morning sun seems to still be asleep. Perhaps a chicken would wake it up? Or would it be a Grimm?

Grimm. Monsters with skeletons on the outside. Horrific, yet intriguing. An existence that has lived alongside the dawn of humankind. What are they? Creatures of negativity. They can sense negative emotions and prey on those who wield them. Noise? Very much alike. Faunus? Very much different.

Faunus, an entirely different race. For the Faunus race to exist, it would be such an achievement. A blessing for those who has a fetish over half-animal-half-man races. Where did they come from? A mystery. How are they treated? Like animals. Was this ever fixed? Once, but never. Was the White Fang the perfect solution? Nope.

A sharp pain struck through my system. Origin of the pain seems to come from my head. It's plausible; seeing how I'm thinking of such complicated matters at an early morning. But I know that it came from something else.

With a weary huff, I've exited the bed.

...

Strolling through my apartment room, it has been silent. Empty, but messy. An unwashed plate on the counter. Ah... Last night was rowdy. I forgot to take out the trash. Smelly, pretty dirty. I shook my head.

I've grabbed the plastic bag. The feeling of the plastic material against my calloused palms. Tsk. How annoying.

 **"I hate fragile things."** Muttered a voice that is lost in the matrix. Glitchy. Distorted.

The voice didn't belong to anyone in the room.

It was merely a thought.

One spoken, never heard.

Inside my head.

A sharp pain again.

"Grr... Go away," I've called out to no one in particular. A rather melodic laugh. No, perhaps it was sinister. Especially its changing frequency.

A honk.

"Ah, damn."

With a hurried rush, I've ran down the stairs.

...

Caught up. That giant truck that collects garbage. Made of pure rubbish metal; it's pretty suited for its job.

"Oh shut up."

I've approached the truck. Ah, it's the same Faunus again today. Complete with his messy raven black hair, and dark green eyes. His polo seems to have been unbuttoned recently. It is pretty hot today.

"Oh, 'sup, Vani," called out the Faunus. Faunus. The same race I've described this morning. Were they still discriminated?

"Sup, Joel," I've answered back. For me, yes. But do I discriminate them? No. I'm pretty fond of them.

He took the plastic bag from me, and threw it on the back of the truck.

"Rowdy morning, eh? Did glasses dude make you work all night again?" asked the Faunus named Joel. I chuckled at the nickname he has given the person. Glasses dude. How perfect. Oh how I wish to have this Faunus' humor.

"Perhaps. How was yours?" I've asked. Wait, why am I starting up a conversation? It's not like I would get anything from this guy. This will only drag on for hours on end. I have more important things to do; like taking a shower.

"Pretty horrible. Remember "From Dust Till Dawn"? Yeah, the shop has been robbed again, and I was at the scene as well. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get out of that situation? The police were blaming me just because I'm a Faunus! There are PLENTY of other people in the White Fang that are human too! Did you-"

He rambled on and on, as I've smiled at him to show my politeness. I've only nodded, and chuckled; it's the only thing I can do since I've already shut my ears.

"Anyways, you better get going soon. By the way, nice hairdo, and eye contacts. Are we out there to impress the ladies tonight?" teased my Faunus friend.

"Ah, yeah, take care- wait, what?" I've asked. Panic. Overwhelming fear. I turned on my heel, and dashed up the stairs as fast as I could.

...

Entering my apartment room. The place is messy as usual. I've ran over to the bathroom, and accidentally slammed the door open. Oops. That might've made too much noise. Ah, not like my neighbours would care.

With a hasty turn, I've looked at my own reflection. Perfect face? Check. Haha. I feel like dying. Scar running down from my left cheek to my neck? Check. Alarming silver eye- Oh. My left eye has turned blue. Again. Streaks of white hair on my otherwise perfect straight purple hair? Check. Again.

I felt myself shuddering from embarrassment. Have I really let my Aura go wild that much last night?

Embarrassment. Shame. Humiliated. Uncomfortable. Distressed- wait, all of those are the same. Regardless, they've filled up my thoughts.

"Why must this happen?"

 **"Perhaps you should've just let me go wild."**

An answer.

There was no one in the room.

A ghost?

A Grimm?

No, Grimms can't speak... Can they?

Ugh. Not in the mood for this.

Silence.

No other answer.

Ah wait.

The voice came from my head.

"... Shut up," I've said. I sighed. I might as well roll with this. I'll run out of money if I keep dying my hair anyways. With that, I took my shower, and ate my breakfast.

... ...

It was a sunny day for Vale, and everyone seems to be in high spirits. People roamed the town, greeting at each other. Friends met up together, and headed out for their respective schools. But all of this energy doesn't seem to affect Vanitas Valentine. In fact, he found it quite annoying.

"Why must I be the only one with a rowdy morning?" he thought to himself. Well whatever that was bothering him, he needs to get it off his chest. Today's his first day in beacon after all- not really. He practically lived here, there was not an area he didn't knew. If there was, then it would've been hidden away from him for a reason by the person who adopted him: Ozpin.

However, one thing remains of a mystery to him: why did the person adopt him? For the great Ozpin of Beacon Academy to adopt a person like him, it was quite the surprise. Especially since the person is going through mild amnesia since the age of 13. He's currently 18, and he still has no memories of whatsoever that happened before he became 13. And those words that keep ringing through his mind.

 **"Kill Ozpin!"**

Vanitas shook his head. What was that about? Why did that voice wish for him to kill his father?

"Atonement, huh," Vanitas said to no one in particular. Those were the words Ozpin answered when he asked. He felt confused about it. Why would Ozpin seek atonement for? Regardless, he liked his father; although, their relationship was weird for people. The two were total opposites; while Ozpin remained stoic, Vanitas was expressive. He didn't hide his emotions, unlike his "father". Another difference is how Vanitas is constantly grumpy and rather discontent, unlike his father who was satisfied with anything. But if there was one thing they've held in similarity to each other...

 **Was their willingness to kill a Human, or a Faunus.**

Both people are very cruel if it comes to a certain point; killing people is simply a walk in the park for them. That or their rather laidback personality.

"It's a price that comes during the war, huh," said Vanitas to himself. It was true; Ozpin went through a lot of ordeals, and the current White Fang situation made it worse. Vanitas shrugged to himself.

"I suppose I'll cut the guy some slack," I said. "Ah, here we are." Right now, Vanitas was on the edge of the mountain cliff- looking towards the direction of Beacon Academy.

"Let's get to it then," he said to himself before jumping off the cliff.

 **"Who killed Cock Robin? I, said the Sparrow, with my Bow and Arrow- I've killed Cock Robin."**

With that incantation, he drew his bow and placed it in between his shoulders. The bow was beautiful of pure obsidian, having a Grimm Skull with two long fangs, about the size of Vanitas' arm, on top its handle. The Grimm Skull was something unfamiliar to the residents of Remnant; after all, it was the unknown Grimm that Vanitas' true father, Dior Valentine, slew. Its beautiful limbs were carved with weird designs. It was designed to be able to withstand the pressure of pure dust articulation and manipulation.

The mechanism inside Vanitas' weapon whirled to life as the bow had latched itself on the back of his tattered otherwise perfect black and red cloak, and released two appendages from the lower and upper limbs. The carved out designs protruded and stuck out like thorns, as an eerie dark red aura connected the newly acquired limbs to the fangs.

The transformation of the bow into a pair of skeletal dragon wings is complete, and fully functional. Vanitas did a quick turn and launched himself upwards into the sky. The fire dust was empowering his jetpack, and, with his aura, he has perfect control over it. Now... to see if his Semblance is still under his control.

"Let the experiment begin," said Vanitas with a rather crooked grin. After all, fighting is one thing he enjoyed; but he was still pretty laid back in all of his battles. He let his Aura go loose, and his body was quickly lightly covered with a pale violet aura. He accelerated towards the sea, a little worried over his powers.

Upon reaching his destination, he reached to his back, and pulled out 6 24 inch long needle shaped projectiles, and threw them down at the sea. Upon impact, the needles exploded. That was simply a part of his semblance: Pyrokinesis. "Fire of the Abyss" as Ozpin would like to call it.

"Glad to see that my needle bombs still work. Now, for something else." Vanitas reached for his back again, and brought out two katanas. He threw the katanas into the air, and it instantly turned into balls of flame. He freely manipulated these flames; it was like playing with water for him. He threw it down into the water, causing the balls of flame to extinguish.

"Next." Vanitas engulfed his shoes with metal guards into flames. He quickly accelerated a speed that would almost reach a sonic boom. He willed himself to stop, and saw the trails of dissipating fire behind him. He turned this ability off.

"Good.. Good... Now for the... Ah. 'Abyssal' mode as father would call it," Vanitas said bitterly to himself. He hated using this mode, but he still needed to find out if he can use it. It was nothing different from how he normally uses his Semblance. Luckily, this area of the sea was forbidden for any person to enter; excluding him and Ozpin of course.

He raised his hand, and black-blue fire engulfed it. It was an entirely different type of fire- something that even Ozpin doesn't have the answers to. The fire engulfs and destroys anything it touches; including water. He can naturally summon this fire from within, but it made him feel like a ticking time bomb instead.

"That's enough for today," he said, extinguishing the flames. He left the area in blinding speeds for Beacon; hopefully, none of the innocent bystanders saw him do his tricks.

... ...

Upon reaching Beacon, luckily for him, there was no student around. He softly landed, and tapped the skull on his wings. The bow's mechanism whirled in, and it morphed back into its original form. The bow then latched itself on the cloak, bringing its limbs downward as well. With a huff, he walked towards the school until he heard a loud bang. His senses picked up, and he instinctively looked around in a crouching position. After finding the source of the explosion, he hastily ran towards its direction.

Upon arrival, he saw a short black haired girl with a red cloak being mouthed off by a girl with pure white clothing. The latter's hair was snow white as well, and, despite how well she was dressed, her ponytail was tied to the side. A little farther from them was a girl who was the complete opposite(in terms of color scheme) of the pure white princess, and was more interested in her book which was a good thing; until she decided to join the conversation.

Vanitas could've sworn he could feel the anger from his spot. It didn't take long for the snow-clad girl to walk off. For some reason, Vanitas felt a little sad when he saw her figure.

The black-clad girl followed afterwards, leaving the girl with red cloak behind. Vanitas felt pity for the girl, but he didn't move an inch. After all, there was already someone who was on his way on introducing himself. Seeing as how he doesn't have much to do anymore, he walked off to the Academy's main building where his father is about to deliver his "speech".

... ...

"I'll... keep this brief," said Ozpin. Vanitas snorted at that, causing Glynda to give Vanitas a fierce glare. Please. He has seen Ozpin getting angry at him once. Also, it would look like that Glynda was glaring at nothing. Leave it to the rather dim lighted area Vanitas has chosen on the second floor. Still, he was still quite surprised that Glynda heard him snort; or was it because she knew he was going to snort?

He scanned through the crowd, and saw rather unfamiliar faces; well except for one. Vanitas frowned at the snow-haired girl in which the latter didn't even notice as she was too absorbed to his father's speech. The girl was so familiar, yet so alien to him.

"You travelled here today in the search of Knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you are finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy."

At this, Vanitas chuckled. His father is as blunt as always.

"In need of purpose. Direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time in this school will prove that knowledge will only carry you so far. It is up to you, to take the first step," finished Ozpin, and walked to the side. This motioned for Glynda to take the spotlight. Vanitas looked at his father who gave him a brief smile. He returned the smile, before turning his attention back to Glynda.

"You are to gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, the initiation begins. Be ready, you're dismissed," said Glynda. Vanitas nodded his head, before leaving the orientation behind to proceed to the ballroom.

... ...

Night came, which caused Vanitas some great distress. He shook his head at the sight before him; countless men flexing their muscles and that ridiculous jump suit being worn by the blonde guy. Hell, even the girls are trying to impress the men by wearing skimpy pajamas; only a few were decent enough to dress properly which included the snow-clad girl and the black-clad girl.

That wasn't his only problem. The next part of his problem was the girls who were checking him out; one of which was a blonde girl with lilac eyes. He was wearing a simple t-shirt and jogging pants that revealed his lean body build. That seemed to make the problem worse, and Vanitas could only roll his eyes. He leaned against the wall before promptly falling asleep.

And so, the morning sun rose. Vanitas was the first to wake up from the rather large amount of students. He didn't really mind it though. He's used to waking up earlier than MOST people.

"Ah, I'm glad you're awake," said a voice that Vanitas knows too well.

"Wake me up after an hour," answered Vanitas before leaning against the wall again. Ozpin tutted at his actions.

"Being a slacker won't do you any good, Vani. You're a hunter-in-training now, you should learn to be diligent." Vanitas rolled his eyes at that.

"Says the guy who slacks around more than I do. How's the paperwork?" Ozpin smiled at this.

"Ah, that problem is being taken care of."

"Yeah. Right. I bet Aunt Glynda is pretty pissed right now." At this, Ozpin chuckled.

"She's fine. She's a very capable huntress."

"Yeah, I know. One of the most powerful huntresses in Remnant, reduced to a secretary. I like it."

"Anyways, I need you to do me a favour." Vanitas looked at Ozpin with one eyelid to motion his father to go on.

"I need you to go down to Emerald Forest along with the others. There has been some alarming increase in the amount of Grimm in the area. While I find this to be the most suitable situation to test their limits, I don't wish to have any potential hunters or huntresses dead." Vanitas raised an eyebrow.

"What's gotten into you, being a softy all of a sudden?" This time, it was Ozpin's turn to roll his eyes.

"I've always seen my students in the highest priority; just next to this school's reputation."

"Nevermind. I assume you want me to become a mediator in this?" Ozpin nodded his head. Vanitas exasperatedly sighed before standing up.

"I better be paid good for this," he said before walking off.

... ...

A few hours later, everyone was up. They were talking to each other how the teams would be made, and how to improve their teamwork. Vanitas, on the other hand, simply remained silent in the background. He watched everyone's movements to get to know them, and he can't help but laugh a little from the blonde boy. He was trying way too hard to impress the girls, something Vanitas found rather amusing.

"Everyone came here to be a hunter or a huntress, yet this guy wants a girlfriend. Is he an idiot or something?" Vanitas thought to himself. The boy suddenly got worried, and was panicking. Vanitas shrugged later on. "Oh well. Not my problem." Now, only a few people were left in the weapon storage area.

The girl with the cloak and the blonde girl were talking to each other, while the snow-haired girl was trying to convince the red-haired girl of something.

"I swear, this country has some addiction, maybe a fetish for hair color," Vanitas mumbled to himself. He turned around, and left the area to meet up with the other students by the cliff.

... ...

"Seriously, launch pads again?" Vanitas asked his father. Ozpin simply gave him a smile. "Oh come on! How are these no even broken yet?"

"They're pretty well-maintained, Vanitas Valentine. If you have more complaints, then kindly speak to me," ordered a middle-aged woman with blonde hair. Vanitas simply rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Auntie. Is everyone here yet? I want to get this over with so I can sleep," yawned Vanitas. Glynda sighed, then smiled at how her "nephew" was acting.

"Sadly, you're the first one here, nephew. Within a few minutes, the others should arrive," said Glynda with a much nicer tone. She was a nice person; outside her business form anyways.

The others arrived then greeted the instructors. A few of them were staring at Vanitas with confusion when he was standing next to Ozpin without being told off by either instructors.

"Ah, Vani. You should go to your pad now as well," said Ozpin. The rather unruly blonde haired girl giggled at that.

"The name's Vanitas, Sir Ozpin. I don't think it too kindly when people call me like that," hissed Vanitas with mock anger.

"I know. Now, for years, you have been trained to become warriors. Today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors of the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today," said Glynda.

"What? No..." muttered the girl with the red cloak. Vanitas shook his head.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here in Beacon. So, it's your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can work well," continued Ozpin.

"Uhm.." muttered the girl again.

"The two rehearsed their lines way too much, it's creepy how well their dialogues linked with each other," thought Vanitas.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years!" said Ozpin with a rather playful voice. Vanitas groaned at the implication.

"What?!" exclaimed the red cloaked girl.

"Yep. I'm definitely tired from hearing those lines over and over again."

"See? I told you!" said the orange haired girl.

"After you're partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."

The blonde haired guy nervously chuckled, while Vanitas grinned.

"I suppose I should have some fun or two." Vanitas stretched his limbs, preparing for the drop.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple with the end of the path, containing several relics."

"Relics. Right," thought Vanitas to himself.

"Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and we'll grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" asked Ozpin.

"As if you'd answer them," Vanitas chuckled before pressing the skull on his back. The backpack instantly whirled to life, turning into a bow that fit Vanitas' hands.

"Yeah, uhm, sir?" asked the blonde guy.

"Good! Now take your positions," said Ozpin.

"Looks like I'm the first," said Vanitas before being launched off.

... ...

As he sailed through the air, he couldn't reject the need of having to show off. With a smile, he began firing his arrows in several specific directions. As soon as he was done, the arrows floated in mid-air, waiting to be exploded. The needles formed a skull that caused several of his fellow hunters-in-training and huntresses-in-training to whistle.

Vanitas, being content with his work, turned around and spread his arms. As soon as he made contact with the core of the skull, the arrows exploded almost simultaneously; covering the area with what remains of the fire dust.

"Woah, that guy's suicidal!" called out a girl with a rather energetic personality.

"Not really," exclaimed Vanitas before willing the remaining fire dusts to form into a hovering board. At this, the same girl whistled in appreciation.

"Dang, you have style!" said the girl, before rocketing herself off with her gauntlets that seemed to shoot... bullets?

"That girl's suicidal," muttered Vanitas before sailing downwards. He looked up in the air and saw his batch mates falling down; especially one blond that doesn't know how to land. Near to his position were two girls: the snow-haired girl and the red cloaked one.

Vanitas simply stood there for a while, waiting for someone to find him. I mean, what's the point on trying to find people when they're bound to find you?

"What's the hurry?" asked a girl.

"Hm. About time. Still would be nicer if it was 5 seconds earlier," blurted Vanitas before walking towards the direction of the voice.

"I will not let my mission be delayed because you're too slow," said another girl with a stern voice. It didn't take long for Vanitas to see the two figures before him:

The snow-clad girl, and the red cloaked girl.

"Fate must really love the two to have them to meet," Vanitas chuckled dryly. Suddenly, the red cloaked girl zoomed past next the snow-clad girl, earning two raised eyebrows from Vanitas.

"I'm not slow see, you don't have to worry about me!"

"So... that girl has a semblance that makes her move in incredible speeds. Got it."

"You're about to see a whole different side of me today, Weiss," said the red cloaked girl as she'd placed her arm over the snow-clad girl's shoulder.

"Weiss, huh? Noted."

"You're gonna be like, wow! That Ruby girl is really really cool. And I wanna be your friend." At that point, the girl, named Ruby apparently, ran off.

"Ruby, huh. Noted again," said Vanitas as he'd watched the Ruby girl go up the trees to scout some Grimm. Needless to say, she began jumping off from one tree to another.

"You may be fast, but you still excel at wasting time!" called out Weiss. "Ruby?" asked Weiss, her voice strangely turning into a weary one. "Ruby?" Weiss called out again, before being interrupted by a low hum.

"... Grimm. Beowolves, huh?" said Vanitas before drawing an arrow from his bow. The bow's mechanism is pretty useful. Its limbs act as the Dust Canisters and the skull concentrates the dust to form into a 24 inches long needle. After that, it's entirely up to Vanitas to how many arrows the needle will release. Having a semblance that can freely manipulate fire dust is pretty cool.

He watched as how the Weiss girl fought with the Grimm. Her movements were graceful, precise, but it lacked power. Her knees bent way too much, and it seems like she hesitates before she could even strike.

"... She's nervous, isn't she? She's not used to fighting Grimm," said Vanitas, gripping harder on his bow. He couldn't show up yet; he was waiting for Ruby to make her move. But he couldn't help but feel this overwhelming feeling of protecting the girl named Weiss.

"Why is it?" He asked himself. The Weiss girl rushed forwards, but Ruby suddenly appeared in front of her, slashing the Grimm. "What an idiot," Vanitas face palmed himself. Ruby should've AT LEAST seen that Weiss was already attacking. What ended up was Weiss aiming her attack on a tree instead, causing it to burst to flames. The Grimm attacked Ruby, and Ruby barely had enough time to block. She was pushed back against Weiss, causing a huff from the latter.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Excuse me? You attacked out of turn, I could've killed you!" exclaimed Weiss.

"She's right, alright," Vanitas muttered to himself. Ruby muttered something under her breath, before being cut off by the Alpha of the pack who was howling for reinforcements. Ruby was about to strike again, when Weiss held her arm.

"We have to go, now!" shouted Weiss who was visibly trembling from fear. The two ran off, making Vanitas smile.

"Good call, Weiss," said Vanitas before jumping to the air. He rained down arrows like rain, causing mass panic amongst the beowolves. The arrows instantly pierced through the Grimm, before exploding from the inside. The Grimm disintegrated to the void.

"Oh come on, that was it?! I was hoping for a bit more, like an actual training exercise! I'm not even warmed up," complained Vanitas before groaning. "I knew I should've just slept," he said before following the two.

Well, let's just say he gave up on the two. They keep bickering with each other, and it was getting to Vanitas' nerves.

He reached the temple to find the blonde haired girl, and the black-clad one waiting for the others.

"Looks like you're the first in the party," greeted Vanitas. The two turned to him, and greeted back.

"We're actually not. Hey, name's Yang, and this is my partner... Blake!" exclaimed the blonde girl, apparently named Yang. Blake gave Vanitas a nod, causing Vanitas to nod back. "Uh... where's your partner?"

Vanitas shrugged.

"Don't have one, don't need one. I'm good on my own," answered Vanitas.

"What?! Don't you know that making friends is important?" asked Yang.

"Special case. I'm an extra student this year. It's either there's gonna be five members in one group which I doubt Wizard of Ozpin would permit, or I'll be on solo flight."

"So you must be really skillful to be able to get enrolled this year," remarked Blake.

"I'm not really. Just a guy passing through," said Vanitas before walking towards the relics. He groaned upon seeing them. "I knew it. Dad, whatever you are planning, I hope it goes well," he thought to himself. He grabbed what seems to be a red horse chess piece, before putting it inside of his red cloak.

"Y'know, your cloak reminds me of my sister, Ruby," said Yang.

"Met her earlier. She's awful with people. Well, maybe with Weiss."

"Really?! Where's my sister?"

"Not sure. I think she-"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" a voice tore through the woods.

"Wait, did you guys hear that? What should we do?"

Blake pointed upwards, and I've looked up as well. There was Ruby who was falling towards Yang, who was then met with Jaune before the two crashed with each other to the tree on the side.

Well that was a long sentence.

"... There she is."

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" asked Blake.

"I..."

Then, they were interrupted by a loud hum, then a girl shouting. There was the girl riding on an Ursa before it fell down, dead. The girl zoomed past us and began singing. She has chosen a rook for her piece as it seems.

"Nora!" yelled a guy's voice.

"Hehe, coming Ren!" said the girl, Nora.

"Did that girl just ride in on an ursa?"

"I..."

Then came in the Death Stalker who was chasing the red haired girl with greek-themed armor.

"Jaune!" the girl called out.

"Pyrrha!" shouted Jaune. Ruby jumped off from the tree they were on. "Ruby!"

"Ruby?" asked Yang.

"Yang!" called Ruby. They were about to high five when Nora suddenly appeared between them.

"Did she just run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?"

"Grr... I can't take this anymore! Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?" asked Yang. The boy, Ren, caught up to the group, and stood next to Nora. After two seconds have passed, Weiss yelled down from the Nevermore on top of the group.

"How could you leave me?!" shouted Weiss.

"I said jump!" shouted Ruby.

"She's gonna fall," said Blake.

"She'll be fine," said Ruby.

"She's falling," said Ren.

"I know," continued Vanitas who kicked up his gear, and jumped high. He caught Weiss on his arms, causing Weiss to look at him rather surprised, and dreamily.

"Oh come on!" complained Jaune who was on the air as well, on the way to catch Weiss. Jaune fell face first to the floor, as Vanitas and Weiss landed safe and sound.

"Tha... Thanks," muttered Weiss. Vanitas shrugged.

"I'd do it in a heartbeat," said Vanitas before looking back at the Death Stalker and the Nevermore on top of them. The Death Stalker threw Pyrrha towards the group.

"Great, the gang's all here. Now we can die together!" said Yang with pure sarcasm.

"Not if I can help it," said Ruby who ran off towards the Death Stalker.

"Ruby, wait!" shouted Yang.

Ruby tried to strike the Death Stalker, but she was knocked back. She got up to her feet, and looked towards the group.

"Don't worry! Totally fine," said Ruby. She shot at the Death Stalker for good measure, before running away.

"Ruby!" shouted Blake who ran towards Ruby as well.

"Why won't she use her semblance? She's way faster than anyone of us!" asked Weiss.

"You can only use your semblance when you're calm. Panicking will make the semblance unstable for you, and that." Vanitas raised his bow, and fired arrows with the same amount of the feathers thrown by the Nevermore. Unfortunately, Yang was forced to stop; being encapsulated by feathers and all.

"Ruby, get out of there!" shouted Yang.

"I'm trying!"

The Death Stalker raised its tail, but Weiss was already in action. By seemingly placing her weapon in Ice gear, she dashed forwards and struck the ground. The tail stinger was inches away from Ruby, but she was saved from her death. Vanitas smiled at their interaction, before turning his attention back at the Nevermore.

For some reason, there were TWO Nevermores now.

"Oh, give me a break," said Vanitas, before cracking a smile. Ruby seems to have noticed as well, and motioned everyone to follow her. Vanitas shrugged before complying to her demands.

... ...

They've reached an area with ruined buildings. The two Nevermores sat on opposite sides of the tower.

"Well that one's great," commented Yang.

The Death Stalker rushed through the forest. It was charging towards the gang.

"Oh man, run!" said Jaune.

"Nora, distract it!" said Ren, before leaping off a boulder. At this, Vanitas smiled. His inner "commander" mode kicking in. Well, he likes to call it his bossy mode.

"Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Blake, the four of you deal with one of the Nevermores. Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, Jaune, the four of you deal with the Death Stalker. I'll handle the other Nevermore. Don't ask questions, just go!" shouted Vanitas. No use in hiding of what he can do now, right?

Ruby's team were grouped together on the tower, luring out one of the Nevermores. Yang was shooting at the Nevermore with a rabid craze, while Jaune's team were fighting the Death Stalker. Where's Vanitas you might ask?

"Right up here!" shouted Vanitas with glee who have already morphed his bow into his wings. He fought the Nevermore in even footing; well flying to be literal. As the Nevermore shot its feathers at Vanitas, Vanitas would reply in kind with his concentrated dust needles. The needles were packing really hard punches at the Nevermore, seeing as how it looks severely beaten whenever it flaps its wings. Not to mention that the needles were exploding inside the Nevermore's flesh, eating it inside out quite literally.

He grabbed another concentrated needle from his wing, before throwing it at the Nevermore. He drew 6 more, and seemingly shot them towards the flying Grimm. The needles hit their intended areas before exploding, causing the Nevermore to wail in pain. Can birds wail? Vanitas wasn't sure. He was having fun regardless.

"Come on, come on!" said Vanitas, taunting the flying beast to charge at him. Fortunately, the beast took the bait.

"Jackpot," using the line from his favourite character: Dante. With one final concentrated needle that was overflowing with power, he chugged it straight to the Nevermore's throat before willing it to explode. The Nevermore's head exploded to pieces, as its lifeless body fell to the ground.


	2. Similarities and Complete Difference

**DiscordArc here and I'm back for another~ Mortis and Lunacy will be put out by tomorrow, so please wait for them until then ^^**

 **Special thanks to Underived, Skaxis, NiL-III, and N7 Recruit for joining the new family! You guys rock :D**

 **Disclaimers: I do not own RWBY. All I own is my OC.**

 **Without further adieu, begin~**

* * *

... ...

Beacon. Came back home alive. An usual day. Nothing special. It was pretty boring. Tiring. Not really. Maybe exciting? Nah. It was just a rowdy day. I think. Not sure. I let out some air. I believe it was called a sigh. Oh well.

I looked around. Everyone seems to be in high spirits. I mean, they're all sighing, and have droopy expressions. Except for Nora. The girl's full of life. Neverending hype. Does she have ADHD? Nah. Impossible... Maybe. Not sure.

 **"What a bunch of weaklings. They're too weak to be with you."**

A voice. The same glitched one. Is it from the matrix? Not really. Still distorted.

"Oh shush," I scolded to no one in particular. People looked at me. Confused. Weirded out. Am I insane? Nah. Not really. I'm perfectly sane. Wait. Not sure. What?

"Uhh... Vani, you alright?" asked Yang. A low hum. Or was it a growl? Possibly a growl. Definitely a growl. Wait, I think groan is the right term.

"It's Vanitas. VA-NI-TAS." Said a low soft melodic voice. Why am I gratifying my own voice? Eh. Doesn't matter.

...

And there stood Vanitas, watching the teams being assembled together. The group of bullies are together. Great, how lovely. They were named as "Team CRDL". Then Jaune's group was grouped together, known as "Team JNPR". Surprisingly, it was to be led by Jaune Arc. Then came "Team RWBY" led by Ruby Rose. Vanitas raised an eyebrow at that. But after seeing how she commanded her teammates, all of his doubts were washed away; not everything though.

As Vanitas expected, he had no teammates. He simply shrugged and turned to leave the stadium.

"Vanitas Valentine. Sepia Monochroma, please come to the stage," called Ozpin. Vanitas turned around with a confused expression on his face. He was about to protest, until a girl came up the stage.

The girl had an obsidian black eye for her left, and a pale blue eye for her right. The color of her right eye was so pale, it led for Vanitas to assume that she was blind on that side. She had reddish-brownish hair, which curled inwards on the edges. She braided her hair on top which made it look like a headband, and her straight bangs swept to the side.

The more Vanitas inspected her, the more he noticed that she was nervous. Probably because her partner isn't up on the stage yet. With an exasperated sigh, he noisily walked towards and up the stage to stand next to the girl: Sepia.

"The two of you are extra students this year. As such, the two of you will be assigned together to form a special two-man team: Team VS," said Ozpin. Vanitas growled at that.

"Team VS? Why are you using a vase for our name?" asked Vanitas.

"Uhh... Are you sure you should talk to him like that?" Sepia squeaked. Ozpin chuckled.

"No worries, Sepia. He's an old friend, we tend to talk, ah, 'smack' as you young people would say. As such for that, I do believe your eyes, and hair color seem to be fitting to earn the name Team VS."

"I see," said Sepia. Once again, Vanitas sighed.

"Whatever glasses dude," teased Vanitas. Ozpin simply raised an eyebrow, before addressing the crowd.

...

Both Vanitas and Sepia were surprised to find out that a two-bed room actually existed in the Beacon dorm. Glynda chuckled at their surprise.

"I wouldn't blame you. However, the two of you weren't the first group to only have two members. Take care now, especially you, nephew. I'm keeping an eye on you," threatened Glynda before leaving. Vanitas simply shrugged, and opened the door. The place was pretty... empty. Except for two beds. It sorta reminded Vanitas of his old room.

"How are you able to talk to those two without being frightened? And did Ms. Glynda just call you... nephew?" asked Sepia with a timid voice. At this, Vanitas sighed.

"Long story short, Ozpin adopted me. Auntie calls me nephew, because she practically declared herself to be my aunt when Ozpin was teaching me how to put all of my work to her," answered Vanitas, clearly smiling of his fond memory. "Good times..."

Vanitas heard something drop, only to see Sepia who dropped her bag.

"Y-you're Ozpin's son?!" squeaked Sepia. At this, Vanitas panicked.

"Woah, woah, not so loud! No one in Beacon knows that, except for you," shushed Vanitas. Sepia visibly reddened and mumbled an apology. Vanitas sighed, and patted her head.

"It's fine, just don't do it again," said Vanitas with a much kinder voice. He picked up her bag, and handed it to Sepia. The latter took it gratefully, and looked around the room.

"Not much room, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Wanna fill it up?" asked Sepia. Vanitas raised an eyebrow.

"Did you really just say 'wanna'?"

This time, Sepia visibly smirked.

"Maybe."

Vanitas could literally feel the chills running down his back.

"Hey, you think you can help me in this?" asked Sepia who seemed to be struggling on carrying her own bag. Vanitas raised an eyebrow at this, but merely shoved his doubts away. The girl seems to be in pain after all.

"Ah, sure," Vanitas answered back.

...

It took the whole night for Vanitas to figure out that Sepia was literally using him for every handiwork there was. How did she do it? Vanitas had no idea. But one thing's for sure:

"That woman is a sly fox," thought Vanitas. It was the truth. At first, he simply saw her as a timid, and clumsy girl. She would trip over stuff, and try to lift things she can't carry. In the end, Vanitas was forced to help her out of sheer pity. Little did he know that he was doing exactly what the girl was expecting him to do.

"I swear you've tricked me into doing this," groaned Vanitas who was currently building a study table for the girl.

"I don't know what you mean~" answered Sepia in a playful and innocent tone. Unfortunately, that only annoyed Vanitas more.

"I swear, you're being really cocky right now," muttered Vanitas after hammering in the last nail on the table.

"There, done. Can I sleep now?" asked Vanitas who slowly walked towards the bed.

"Not really. We only have an hour left til class," said Sepia, who was visibly smirking. She already had her Beacon clothes on, causing Vanitas' eyes to widen.

"How long was I doing your chores?" asked Vanitas. Sepia tapped her right cheek with a finger.

"Hmm... Not sure. The whole night I think. I slept," said Sepia who stuck a tongue out at Vanitas. A visibly angry Vanitas shouted bloody hell, before going to the bathroom to take a shower.

...

"Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names,"

"Yada, yada, I'm tired of hearing this again and again. It's like listening to a broken record," groaned Vanitas. At this, Sepia looked at him with confusion.

"I've been in Uncle Port's class a lot of times. Just watch, and he'll bring out a grimm for, ah, 'to see if there is a hunter/huntress in this class'," said Vanitas, air quoting his words.

"Huh. You're pretty knowledgeable. I prolly should lead you on more often," muttered Sepia.

"What was that?" asked Vanitas.

"Nothing!" said Sepia, who refocused her attention back to Port.

"Huntresses!" said Port. He clicked his tongue at Yang, who chuckled in return; albeit, FORCED.

"I swear, he's trying his best to get laid," groaned Vanitas.

"What do you mean?" asked Sepia again.

"He's still a virgin," Vanitas cracked a grin.

"Oh," said Sepia, who had a grin of her own.

"Huh. Perhaps I'll get along with her," thought Vanitas. Then, he looked at her notebook and saw a sentence scribbled on it:

"Black mail material."

Vanitas would've never thought he could feel fear. Well, now he is.

"If you try to tell the teacher, I'll tell you on as well," smirked Sepia. Vanitas groaned.

"No one likes a tattletale."

Vanitas resumed his attention back to Port, only to find out he was blabbering about his past. Again. Once again, Vanitas groaned.

...

"A true huntsman must be honourable. A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise. So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" asked Port.

"I do, sir!" shouted Weiss with her arm up.

"Well then... Let's find out. Step forward, and face your opponent," said Port, motioning towards a cage that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Told ya," Vanitas said to Sepia. Sepia simply rolled her eyes, and went back to scribbling stuff on her notes.

For both Sepia and Vanitas, the fight before them was... lacking. Yeah, sure, Weiss was doing her best, but it still felt... lacking.

"She hesitates too much. Is she afraid of Grimm or something?" commented Sepia. Vanitas could only sigh, and watch the fight before him. Actually, for that matter, does Weiss ALWAYS carry her clothes around? 5 minutes before the fight, she excused herself to change. I mean, I know it's hard to fight in this stiff clothing, but did she really have to?

"Women and their fashion sense," groaned Vanitas. At this, Sepia's mouth twitched. She was about to retort when Weiss suddenly shouted that caused her to shut up. "I'll thank her later," Vanitas thought while chuckling dryly.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today," said Port. Vanitas looked at Weiss, who also looked at him. For some reason, Weiss began to blush, but embarrassment was clearly shown on her eyes. She quickly turned away before adapting her cold mannerism. She stomped away from the room, being followed by Ruby.

"So, what now?" asked Vanitas who leaned back on his chair.

"Sorta busy here," Sepia bit back. Vanitas raised his hands in defeat.

"I'll go outside." Sepia simply nodded her head, while Vanitas turned to leave the room.

...

Vanitas unconsciously followed Ruby down the hallway, and he simply raised an eyebrow at Ruby and Weiss' bickering. He looked to the side and saw his father coming towards Ruby. Vanitas simply rolled his eyes and turned around.

"No point in joining this matter. Not really in the mood in joining the circus," mumbled Vanitas before turning to leave.

Along his way on the hallway, he came across Yang and Blake. The two were visibly worried for their two teammates, and Vanitas simply turned around again. Needless to say, he found himself cornered.

"Just my luck," groaned Vanitas.

"Hey, have you seen my sister?" asked Yang. Vanitas turned around to meet the crazy blonde and the rather quiet type Faunus. How did he know she was a Faunus? Twitching ribbon. Period. He decided to keep silent about it though. No need to create any further strife in their team.

"Would be funny on how they would react though," thought Vanitas who chuckled to himself.

"Uhh... okaaaay? Yang to Vanitas, you there?" asked Yang. Vanitas shrugged.

"Yeah, she's right down the hallway. Weiss scolded Ruby or something. Now Ruby's being talked to by Ozpin. Don't disturb 'em. Just go to your rooms, Oz will do fine," answered Vanitas who smoothly waltzed his way out of trouble.

He reached his room to find Sepia to be already fast asleep. She was mumbling something about Vanitas being a nuisance. Vanitas looked to the study table to find both Sepia's homework, and his homework on top of it. He approached the table and a note clearly stated:

"Kindly do my assignment with yours. Oh, don't worry. Your secret is safe with me ;) ~Sepia"

Vanitas groaned again. Looks like his carefree life was over.

...

After finishing the assignments, Vanitas leaned back to his chair while stretching his arms. He looked to the window and saw that it was already night time.

"Huh. I guess I'll go take a walk," said Vanitas to no one in particular. He got up from his chair, and silently left the room in order not to disturb Sepia from sleeping. As much as he hates the little fox, he'll still have to act nicely. She's a girl after all.

On his way down the corridor, he felt at peace. The area was silent, everyone was asleep. For most people, people would find empty and dark corridors to be scary. For Vanitas, he found it quite peaceful. Something about the darkness that allows him to think peacefully.

As he roamed around, he found a walking white figure. At first, he thought it was a ghost. Then he remembered that there was an actual student here who loves the color white and is even clothed in it: Weiss. His thoughts began to trail off.

Weiss. The name brings Vanitas a nostalgic feeling and a headache for some reason. It was like he was supposed to know this person. He racked his brain to try and remember, only to get an overwhelming feeling of vertigo. His body felt heavy, and the surroundings began to twist and turn; his world was turning upside down in a very bad way.

"Fuck, it's happening," growled Vanitas. Here was the backlash of his true Aura; he gets really sick at night. Without a proper source of lighting, his aura runs wild to light up the surroundings. It was as if Vanitas' aura doesn't like being in the dark. "I thought I was able to control you already?!"

"Vani!" shouted a girl whose voice began to echo in his head. The shout wasn't too loud to wake the others, but definitely loud enough for Vanitas to hear. He fell to the floor, only to be met with a pair of fragile arms. There, he lost consciousness.

...

When Vanitas came to, he was immediately engulfed in a hug by his aunt. Hugs are good and all, but Glynda's hug can rival a bear.

"Ah, Auntie, you're crushing me," Vanitas managed to mumble out. Glynda quickly let go, before letting a slap hit his face.

"What did you think you were doing last night? You know full well that can't in the dark, you would've burned to death!" scolded Glynda. Vanitas rubbed his now swollen cheek, and mumbled a soft apology. Glynda immediately softened at this, before turning to Ozpin.

"Let me take a guess. Ever since you've learned to control your aura, you've foolishly decided to walk in a hallway with no lights on?" said Ozpin with his calm demeanor. Vanitas sighed exasperatedly.

"Alright, fine! It was my fault, I'm sorry," answered Vanitas before lying against the bed again.

"Vani-"

"It's alright, Glynda. The young man has learned his lesson. Let's go, we still have students to entertain," said Ozpin who led Glynda to the door. "Oh, and Vani? Go thank Weiss and Sepia. The two carried you here in the infirmary," said Ozpin before the two left.

...

It has been weeks already since Vanitas' incident. When he thanked Weiss, the latter kept stuttering and was downright flustered. For Sepia, well, let's just say that Vanitas hates being indebt with someone.

Currently, the two were eating at the cafeteria, exchanging with each other's notes. Recently, the two have come into friendly terms which often caused misunderstandings among the students about the two being a "couple". Vanitas cleared the rumours up with a harsh glare, while Sepia supported him with her signature pranks.

"Hey, do you have any notes for Glynda's class?" asked Sepia. Vanitas nodded his head, before passing his notes to her. Vanitas looked around, and saw team RWBY and team JNPR eating with each other. Jaune performed a very embarrassing performance earlier which caused many people to give Pyrrha and his talented teammates the pitiful stare. This infuriated Vanitas. He turned to the leader of team CRNL and saw him bullying a Faunus girl with bunny ears. While it was true that he hates meddling with other's business and that he always wants to stay out of trouble, he can't let people bullying on people weaker than themselves pass.

"Don't mind them, Vani. I'm pretty pissed off myself, but we still have a reputation to maintain," said Sepia while biting her lower lip. For once, Sepia agreed with Vanitas. She, too, hates stronger people bullying on the weaker ones.

"Ow that hurts!" said the girl with a British accent. Both Sepia and Vanitas turned to the girl whose ears were being pulled by the leader.

"That's it," Vanitas and Sepia growled simultaneously, standing up from their seat. They completely left their meal and notes behind while cracking their knuckles.

"Please stop," said the Faunus.

"I told you it was real!"

"Stop it," growled Vanitas, gripping the wrist of the leader. The CRDL leader just looked at him flabbergasted.

"What did you say?" asked the man. Vanitas growled again, before hardening his grip. The leader wailed in pain, quickly letting the girl go. Vanitas, then, pulled the leader forwards, and viciously slamming him against the table behind him. Luckily, there were no one on that table. All eyes turned to them, while the leader's teammates stared at Vanitas in shock.

"I said, stop," said Vanitas with venom dripping in his voice.

"Hey, let him go!" one of the teammates managed to recover.

"No, you go!" shouted Sepia, who roundhouse kicked the person in the jaw, sending him flying. This time, everything was at a standstill. The leader tried to squirm out of his way from Vanitas' grip, but to no avail. Vanitas pushed the leader against the floor, the latter's front pressed against the floor. His arm was twisted to the back. Vanitas leaned closer to the leader's ear.

"Apologize," said Vanitas with a raspy, terrifying voice that caused the leader to quickly yell: "I'm sorry!"

"That's it?!" Vanitas shouted. His voice instantly sent shivers down everyone's spine. "No, no, no, no. You go to your knees, press your head against the floor and apologize to everyone you've bullied. If not, I'll make sure to kill all of you in your team one. By. One. This I vow," said Vanitas. At this, a spoon can be heard clattering against the floor. Everyone at Beacon has never seen Vanitas being this angry. Sure, he was picked on, and everything by team CRDL as well, but he just didn't mind them and picked on them back with a playful manner. For Vanitas to actually threaten to kill team CRDL, then that means that the situation was way out of hand.

"That's enough!" shouted a woman's voice.

"Tsk. You're lucky this time," growled Vanitas, letting his grip go. He turned to face Glynda who was looking at him with mock disappointment. Why? Her eyes were glimmering with pride.

"The two of you, and team CRDL, go to the office. Now. I wish to speak with the 6 of you with your behaviour during break time," ordered Glynda. Vanitas rolled his eyes, and motioned Sepia to follow.


	3. Trials and Beliefs

**I'm back~ :DD**

 **Welcome to the family, The Dark Dragon Emperor, Dunbarbalooie2, and rex727!**

 **Now without further adieu, enjoy~**

* * *

Discomfort, anxiety, impatience. All 3 combined into one emotion. Its name? I forgot. Frankly I don't want to look for it on the dictionary. Oh wait, I can't.

Inside this room again filled with tension, I glanced to my sides. There was my partner with her sly grin. Frankly, I still find it unnerving. Quite terrifying. Makes me quite uneasy. But also quite endearing. Wait what?

Then a voice snapped me out of my thoughts. One full of stern. Full of disgust. Full of hate. It was as if a lion was released from his den, seeking out the one who killed its potential lover. Wait. That's a bad analogy. I think a dragon is better. Regardless, I'm not so worried. Nor afraid. I suppose it's Team CRDL who's scared instead. I think one of them just let the water loose. Ew. Really disgusting.

My partner almost barfed at the site. Near vomit. Eyes twinkling with pure disgust. But also some form of entertainment. Why did I get such a sadistic partner? Ozpin was bad enough. Annoying. Speaking of the devil, he was sitting on his chair. Is he addicted to coffee or something? Or is it Glynda's temper that he needs caffeine so he won't go insane? Oh well.

Ah, looks like she's done. Cool. Looks like it's our turn now. Damn it.

... ...

After Glynda allowed Team CRDL to leave, this time it was Team VS turn to get an earful. Needless to say, the only two members of the team didn't bother to take any of her words seriously. Unfortunately, this didn't pass Glynda's sharp eyes.

"Look, nephew. Telling them to stop is enough. You don't have to resort to unneeded violence and a death threat. Same case goes for you, Ms. Monochroma," said Glynda. Sepia sighed exasperatedly.

"They deserved it, and you know it," said Sepia. Glynda sighed in annoyance, and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I swear, you're just as bad as Vanitas."

"Woah, woah, woah, as bad? She's worse!" indignantly claimed Vanitas.

"Regardless, a death threat is too much. Vani, you do realize what a death threat means in our family, correct?" said Ozpin. Vanitas sighed at this.

"Yeah, yeah. A death threat means something we're bound to carry out in the future. I'm willing to assassinate them though," said Vanitas without seemingly caring of the consequences. At this, Sepia's eyes widened in shock.

"Assassinate?" asked Sepia. At this, Ozpin sighed.

"Fine. I want you to listen, Ms. Monochroma. I won't repeat this story twice. Also, under no circumstances will you blurt out what you've heard here today to the general public. You wouldn't like some... ah, issues heading on your way. First, I have to ask. Have you ever heard of the tale of the 4 sisters?" asked Ozpin. At this, Sepia nodded her head.

"Oh, I know where this is going," Vanitas muttered out, and decided to leave the room. Glynda was about to stop Vanitas, but Ozpin told Glynda to let him be. After all, it's going to be about Vanitas' rise into a world –class assassin.

Vanitas is quite tired of his job really. His job as an assassin goes both ways; assassination of either human or faunus, or assassination of grimms. Although recently from the strife between kingdoms and the white fang, it has been the former. The uprising of the grimm has also been worrying, and it tends to drive Vanitas absolutely nuts. His worst encounter of Grimm consists of two Goliaths; both of which he's managed to put down. While Goliaths are generally gentle creatures, a few of them are still pretty stubborn.

While wondering about his job, he wondered about how Neo was doing. During his first days as an assassin, he met a girl with white and pink hair with seemingly constantly changing heterochromatic eyes. She carried an umbrella around, and seldom spoke. Regardless, the two managed to befriend each other when they've found out they had a common goal: To assassinate a person named Roman Torchwick.

The more he thought about Neo, more blood rushed to his face. He has one hell of a crush on the Neopolitan haired beauty. He hated to admit it, but he couldn't help but feel it. Neo was also able to show signs of affection towards Vanitas, but wasn't really able to deliver it fully; after all, Vanitas was quite dense with the matter.

Regardless, he didn't like how that mission turned out. During his attempt, a certain black haired girl with an affinity for fire blocked the way for both he and Neo. Seeing how they were at a disadvantage, the two assassins seemingly left and abandoned the mission.

The bell rang. It seems that the next class is about to begin.

... ...

"Gah, can't he slow down?" complained Sepia. Vanitas simply shrugged.

"Tell that to him, and he'll blast you off to the moon," said Vanitas. Currently, the two were listening to Sir Oobleck's lecture. Needless to say, they were getting really annoyed. Especially since a little troublemaker decided to brew up some trouble again. Vanitas looked to his side, and saw Sepia looking dangerously murderous at Cardin. A little of Sepia's semblance was coming out, and Vanitas knew he has to stop it.

Sepia's semblance is one of a kind. Her semblance causes time around her to slow down, so she can move faster than any person in the whole world. If Ruby's semblance causes her to move fast, then Sepia's semblance causes her to be able to move ahead of time. If you accompany Sepia's weapon, Venom Blade, then she would be able to do one hell of damage within a short period of time. The students of Beacon has never seen it yet, but Vanitas sure won't let them.

Vanitas put a hand on her shoulder, and Sepia instantly calmed down.

"I know how much you hate him, but let him be," said Vanitas, his voice deadly calm.

"... Alright," said Sepia and concealed her semblance. After a few minutes later, the students were dismissed. By that time, Sepia and Vanitas headed for their room.

... ...

On that night, Vanitas was able to sleep peacefully. Sepia fell asleep quickly after all. By the time he woke up, he was met with pleasant sunlight and the gentle breeze through the window.

"Today's the field trip, huh?" thought Vanitas. Without any hesitation, he turned to dress up.

... ...

"You done?" Vanitas called out. He was inside the bathroom, waiting for Sepia to finish dressing up outside. Vanitas wore a black jacket with belts wrapped around his arms. He wore ripped jeans, and a simple black and white shoe. He wore his and red black cloak over the jacket, and his bow strapped on his back. On his head were a pair of black and glowing neon red headphones with cat ears that act as speakers.

"Yes!" Sepia called out. Vanitas opened the bathroom door and simply smiled at how Sepia looked like. If a person looked at them, they would probably be classified as siblings. Sepia wore a black polo with seemingly intricate white and black lines on its collar, with a similar design decorating the frills on the right shoulder, and the left waist area. She was wearing a black and white skirt with one side longer than the other. She wore white boots with a black sole, and black laces just going up below her knee. Beneath her boots were ripped black socks.

"Looks good on you," said Vanitas. Sepia raised an eyebrow, but let a small smile decor her lips.

"You better not be hitting on me," teased Sepia. This time, Vanitas raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? Maybe I am," Vanitas teased back. The two laughed together, and left for the field trip.

... ...

"Yes students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we're not here for sightsee," said Glynda.

"Bummer," Sepia and Vanitas blurted out.

"Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from trees deep inside this forest. And I'm here to make sure that none of you die while doing so," Glynda finished and turned around.

"... I wonder if it's a repellent for the upcoming Grimm War," Vanitas thought glumly. It was a secret that was never supposed to be told to the students and citizens of Vale. But another Grimm War is soon upon them. Hopefully, nothing bad will ever happen.

"Each of you is to gather one jar worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm. So be sure to stay by your teammates. All of you are to go back here by 4 o'clock, have fun!" said Glyndad.

"Come on, buddy. Let's go," said Cardin to Jaune. Vanitas turned around to see what they were doing. Jaune looked depressed while his other teammates went to gather sap; except Pyrrha who looked at him in concern. She sighed and parted ways.

"... Something's fishy is going on here," said Vanitas before Sepia called him over to gather sap.

... ...

A loud growl of a grimm pierced through the forest. Vanitas and Sepia ventured deep into the area, since they've wanted to find the best tree for the sap.

".. I knew it," said Vanitas as he'd dropped the jar, and dashed towards the noise. Sepia, seemingly knowing what Vanitas was up to, also dropped her jar and followed suit.

By the time they've reached the area, Jaune was already fighting the giant ursa. Vanitas was about to charge in when Sepia stopped him from going.

"Why?" asked Vanitas.

"The guy's pumped. Also, there's Pyrrha," answered Sepia. I looked around and saw Pyrrha.

"Oh. Let's go back then," said Vanitas. Sepia nodded her head.

In the end, the two found a huge tree where they've managed to get a shiny red sap. This gave them high scores for their "field trip".

... ...

The next day though, Vanitas received a mission from Ozpin via text message. Now, he was looking around the shop.

"This makes this the second one..." said Vanitas to no one in particular. He looked around some more, trying to find any kind of clue that would lead this incident to the White Fang. Unfortunately, he didn't find any.

"Why are the dust shops being robbed lately is something I can't answer... Perhaps the White Fang is planning to start another war again," he speculated. He pinched the bridge of his nose from the irritation of not knowing the answer. Actually, he's already irritated because he's spending his hard-earned rest day on a job. Now he's just really frustrated.

"Vani!" called out a certain blonde. Vanitas turned to the direction of the voice and saw Yang waving at him. He shrugged and turned to meet Team RWBY.

"Oh, sir, any inquiries?" asked one of the police while he saluted. The others followed his example, causing Team RWBY with a shocked expression to look at Vanitas.

"The usual. All the dust are taken away, the money's still here. I swear this is too much trouble already," groaned Vanitas.

"It'll end one day, sir. You think it's the White Fang?"

"It's the only reasonable choice left," said Vanitas.

"Hey, Vani. Whatcha doing here?" asked Yang. Vanitas rolled his eyes.

"One, don't call me Vani. Two, I'm working on my side job," answered Vanitas.

"Side job?" inquired Weiss. Vanitas looked at Weiss dead in the eye, as if to say not to pursue this matter any further. This shut Weiss up, but Vanitas felt guilty for doing that to her.

"Ohh, are you some kind of detective or some sort?" asked Ruby with a strange twinkle in her eyes. I sighed exasperatedly and nodded my head rather tiredly.

"Yeah. It's the only way I can keep a living."

"Who do you think did this?" asked Blake. I put my fingers on my chin, and thought for a moment.

"It's either a bunch of Vale's rebels to overthrow the current system, or the White Fang."

"Hmph. The White Fang. What an awful bunch of degenerates," commented Weiss. Blake raised an eyebrow at this.

"What's your problem?" Blake asked.

"My problem?" Weiss retorted back. "I simply don't care for the criminally insane."

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided faunus," answered Blake.

"I'm getting a headache from this," complained Vanitas who turned to leave for the dust shop again.


	4. The Beginning of Hell

**Here's a chapter of Nightmares of Abyss~ Welcome Azrael Darkfire, for joining the family :D**

* * *

 **Hmm, how long have I been working?** I'm completely derived of sleep. Well, doesn't really matter. I'll be visited by a sly fox anyways.

Speaking of the little vixen, she's late.

How annoying.

Infuriating.

Frustrating.

I really hate it when people don't come by the hour they've promised to come.

 **"Well, if she's aggravating you that much, why not kill her?"**

A voice.

The same distorted one as before.

Disturbing.

Unorthodox.

Perhaps I should just go now?

I've taken a peek at the time.

8:30 in the morning.

Huh.

I've been working that long?

I don't feel tired at all.

Though, my instincts have been bothering me.

I wonder if he's the one behind this…

… …

The next few minutes were boring for Vanitas. He stood in front of the police station, anxiously checking the time with his watch. The people and faunus alike gave him weird looks due to his attire and why he wasn't being told off by the police.

He sighed. He was gathering too much attention. Where's that little vixen when he needs her?

"Vaniii~!"

Speaking of the devil, there she was. She, with such an endearing voice, called out to him. It was as if the two were on a date.

"Sepia, took you some time," Vanitas called back. Sepia twirled around to show off her new clothes. She was wearing something lighter today; a normal blouse with tight jeans. Her hair followed the wind trail a little too smoothly; it was as if it was artificial.

"Teehee, how do you like my new look?" asked the girl. Vanitas groaned. He would go through long lengths just to make the girl stop her foxiness. He landed a karate chop blow on her head, causing the girl to innocently put her hands on the spot where she was hit.

Sepia looked up to him with a pout.

"What was that for, Vani?" inquired Sepia. Vanitas sighed wearily.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Vani?"

"Eehhh? But it's such a cute nickname," said Sepia. Vanitas heaved a tired sigh.

Frankly, he was getting tired of his partner's attitude. On public, she puts on that innocent, clumsy and adorable personality. But if it comes to just the two of them, she turns into a fox, accompanied with its slyness.

This little vixen was giving him more work than he should be handling.

"Let's just go. Sorry for bringing you along," stated Vanitas.

It was true. He didn't wish to bother his partner since she wasn't supposed to be involved in all this. However, she has sharp senses, and a clear insight that will make her useful in his investigation.

"It's nothing really, let's go!" said Sepia, clinging her arms to his and dragged him around town.

… …

During the first few hours of their investigation, they've found nothing. There were no clues that could link up the Dust Store robbery to the White Fang. The same case applied to the other notorious crime organizations around the world, and even of Vale.

Although, they did find something interesting.

The two have found the black haired Faunus, Blake, to be chatting with a man with golden hair. She was talking about how she was a former member of the White Fang, who left due to the unlikable situation the White Fang placed themselves in.

Vanitas and Sepia didn't mean to eavesdrop, but they couldn't pass by this important piece of information.

"Hey, Vani. They're leaving. Should we follow them?" asked Sepia. Vanitas nodded his head.

"As much as I hate stalking, this will be our only chance to finding out whether the White Fang DOES have something to do with the recent Dust Shop attacks. Everything to this point has been pure speculations; now we have the chance of getting concrete evidence. I'm not letting this past. Also, stop calling me Vani!" scolded Vanitas. Sepia just chuckled, and told Vanitas to lead the way.

Currently, the two were tailing the Faunus. Vanitas was used to this kind of job, even out in public. Surprisingly, Sepia knows how to keep her presence low.

"So, what's the plan now?" asked the Golden Blonde, called as Sun. It was at this point that Vanitas knew he lived in a world of color fetishes.

"I'm not sure if the White Fang is behind these robberies. They've never needed that much dust before…" responded Blake.

"What if, they did? I mean the only way to prove that they didn't do it is to go to the place where they are most likely to go to if they were to do it, and not find them there… right?"

"The only thing is, I have no idea where that would be…"

"Well, while I was on the ship, I've heard some guys talking about offloading a huge shipment of dust coming in from Atlas."

"How huge?"

"Huge, big Schnee company trailer," said Sun.

"Ship… The warehouses," Vanitas thought. Sepia and Vanitas looked each other, and nodded their heads to confirm their suspicion.

Along with the two faunus, who didn't seem to sense their presence, the two humans rushed to the warehouses.

By the time they've got there, it was already nighttime. Vanitas told Sepia to go home, but she strongly refused for an odd reason.

"I'm not letting you have all the fun!" complained Sepia. Vanitas groaned at her behavior, and looked on.

They were currently observing from a building just opposite of where the two faunus were. Luckily, they haven't noticed despite the contrasting colors the two humans had on.

"Still, when are they going to come?" inquired Sepia. Vanitas was about to answer, until they saw a large plane land in the middle of the sight. By the time the hatch has opened, people wearing outfits that obviously showed their symbol: The White Fang.

Vanitas grinned. Looks like the White Fang WAS involved with the whole dust store robbing bullshit.

But for what purpose?

Then appeared a man with red hair and a cane.

"Roman Torchwick," growled Vanitas in a voice deeper than usual. Sepia flinched at his tone.

"Wh-what's wrong?" asked Sepia. Vanitas didn't want to answer.

"Nothing. Just have some unsettled account with that fuck," replied Vanitas. Just as if on time, Blake jumped off the building she was observing from with her weapon out.

"Sepia, stay here. A riot's about to start," said Vanitas. He pulled out his bow, and immediately pulled out an arrow.

"W-wait, what are you doing Vani?!" asked Sepia. Vanitas simply smiled.

"Providing back up fire to the little cat girl over there."

"Cat girl?"

As if on cue, Blake appeared out of nowhere and put her blade on Roman Torchwick's neck. A few talks here and there, and more planes came out of the skies.

"Tsk, this isn't good. They have too many reinforcements," thought Vanitas. He bit his lower lip. He might just need to kill these people in front of two innocent girls. He doesn't want that to happen but it looks like he has no choice.

Torchwick set off an explosion that threw Blake back.

"Blake!" shouted Sepia. Torchwick was fired another bullet, but Vanitas fired just as fast. He countered Torchwick's bullets with his arrows, leaving an outraged Roman Torchwick.

"You again?! I fucking swear you love ruining my plans, don't you?" shouted Torchwick. Vanitas knew that it was time to show up. He strapped on his bow, and flew forwards the commotion.

"Vanitas!" shouted Sepia who was irritated that she was being left out from the fun.

… …

"Nice to see you too, Torchwick!" shouted Vanitas as he'd rained down spikes down at Torchwick. The latter returned the favor by shooting back with his bullets. He accelerated downwards, forming two blades made from pure dark red dust and struck down. His opponent countered rapidly, and the two traded blows like there's no tomorrow.

Each blow was accompanied by an explosion that shook the battlefield. The poor blonde faunus, who was supposed to stomp down on Torchwick's head, lost his balance and fell from the crate he was on. Bad timing called for it as reinforcements rushed forward to get him.

Blake, on the other hand, was utterly surprised to find out that one of her classmates knew about this man. While she did find it weird that he was working with the police at such an early age, she didn't expect that he'd be in this business as well.

She wanted to go forwards and strike as well, but the two were trading blows with high levels of malice and ferocity. It was like they were seriously trying to kill each other, than to disarm each other.

"Are you here to attempt to kill me once again?!" shouted Torchwick. He swung his cane at Vanitas as an attempt to hook him in. Unfortunately, Vanitas saw this come.

"Nah, there are kids watching!" responded Vanitas, who crouched low and delivered a low kick. Torchwick was thrown off balance, and, as a process, accidentally hit Ruby who was watching from afar.

It was only until that point when Vanitas noticed the girl.

"Ruby!" shouted Vanitas. Ruby was thrown afar, momentarily distracting Vanitas.

"Hey, I'm right here!" shouted Torchwick. He caught Vanitas offguard, landing a blow on his chin. Vanitas staggered backwards, but Torchwick pressed on his attack. As a result, Vanitas suffered heavy blows and bullet wounds that pierced through his flesh.

Torchwick thought he was winning, but he really wasn't.

Without warning, blue fire rolled off from Vanitas like a furnace.

 **"Enough!"** shouted Vanitas. His voice cracked as he spoke that sentence; it was as if he's snapped his sanity in the process. He released a powerful shockwave of pure dark blue flames, pushing Torchwick back with violent force. He scanned the surroundings, and found a certain orange haired girl with a pink bow: Penny.

"What the fuck is that weapon doing here?" thought Vanitas. He shook his head, and turned his attention back to Torchwick. Unfortunately, he already ran away on his plane.

 **"Damn it, get back here you fuck!"** shouted Vanitas with glee. He raised his hand and was about to blast the plane from the skies. Unfortunately, it backfired. Instead, the blue flames began to consume him.

 **"Fuck, I screwed up,"** muttered Vanitas. The blue flames continued consuming, causing him to scream out in agony.

"Vani!" shouted a certain vixen, who still hasn't left the scene.

Fortunately, the girl did what every sane person would do.

Smack the living shit out of the rampaging man.

… ….

By the time Vanitas came to, he was surrounded by 4 girls and the blonde faunus. Vanitas groaned in pain.

"Anything good happened while I was out?" asked Vanitas.

"Ah, thank the heavens you're awake!" shouted Ruby who suddenly hugged Vanitas. At this, Vanitas huffed at the sudden change of comfort.

"What happened back there?" inquired Blake who was narrowing her eyes at Vanitas. Vanitas sighed. He looked around, and caught glimpse of a blonde girl and silverhead girl coming their way.

"I'll explain later. You have other things to take care of," Vanitas replied, pointing at the visitors. Ruby instantly let go, and panicked by the sight of the two. She quickly approached Weiss, speaking rapidly that almost made it not understandable.

However, the Snow Queen simply passed by Ruby and stood face to face with Blake.

"Err… Should we be here? This looks like an internal conflict to be honest," whispered Sepia to Vanitas. Vanitas shook his head.

"I have a feeling that we'll be with this group for quite some time. We might as well get to know them," softly answered Vanitas.

"Weiss… I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back when I was with-"

"Stop" commanded Weiss. Vanitas raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed with her attitude. She's still almighty despite the situation. "Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you?"

Blake's eyes widened with surprise.

"12 hours. That means I've had 12 hours to think about this, and in that 12 hours, I've decided…" Weiss stopped there to build up tension.

"… Seriously. Did she really have to?" commented Sepia. Vanitas lightly chuckled at his partner's unneeded comment.

"I don't care."

"You don't care?" asked Blake, who was skeptical of her answer.

"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?"

"No, I-I haven't been since I was young-"

"Upupupupup. I don't wanna hear it. All I want to know that next time something this big comes up? You come to your teammates, and not some… someone else."

At this, Blake started tearing up and everyone in the vicinity smiled.

"Just. Kiss. Already," muttered Sepia. With a baffled expression Vanitas has looked at his partner.

"Of course…"continued Blake.

"Yeah! Team RWBY is back together," said Ruby. Vanitas turned his attention back to the group. They huddled around Blake, completely forgetting the duo.

"Sepia, let's leave," said Vanitas. Sepia nodded her head.

"You'll be explaining to me what happened earlier, mister," growled Sepia. Vanitas sighed in exasperation.

"I'm still quite not sure how I feel about you," said Weiss. Sun nervously laughed at her.

"Hey, wait a minute… Where's Penny? And Sepia? And Vanitas?" asked Ruby.

… …

That night, it took tremendous amount of effort to explain everything to Sepia in a way she won't be traumatized with him.

Vanitas, accompanied by his father, explained his abilities to Sepia along with his "curse". Glynda was currently doing paperwork, so she wasn't able to come and help the two.

"So… Let me get this straight. You're an assassin."

"Yes."

"And your Aura is something that eats up your sanity every time you use it."

"Err… Not really. It's just if my Aura turns berserk, that's when it starts eating my sanity."

"… So your Aura is more or less a double edged blade?"

"… Yes."

Sepia sighed at the revelation. True, she likes her partner because he was strong. She wasn't ready to be committed of turning into this person's babysitter though.

"You'll have to explain this to the other people in the scene then, Vani," said Ozpin. Vanitas groaned again.

"No need to remind me. Can I get some sleep now? I haven't slept for ages," muttered Vanitas.

"Sure, go get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow," said Ozpin.

Together, Sepia and Vanitas walked to their room, and collapsed on their respective beds.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


End file.
